So, you want to know where Southwest Airlines will fly when the Wright ... - Dallas Morning News (blog)

We’ve waited decades to know where Southwest Airlines would fly out of Dallas Love Field if a federal law didn’t block its way.

On Monday, the curtain will be pulled back, the secret box will open, the heavens will shine – Southwest will announce its destinations from the Dallas airport.

Southwest chairman and chief executive Gary Kelly will be joined by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison as he reveals the cities that will get nonstop service out of Love Field.

To recap, Southwest flew only to other cities in Texas from its founding in 1971 until Congress deregulated the interstate airline industry in 1978. Southwest showed interest in flying to other states; Congress stepped it at the behest of Dallas, Fort Worth, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and other airlines to put limits on commercial airline service out of the Dallas airport.

It was called the Wright amendment after the author, Rep. Jim Wright, D-Fort Worth.

Initially, the limits said airlines couldn’t fly nonstop beyond Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana. Alabama, Mississippi and Kansas were added in 1997, and Missouri was added in 2005.

Under those limits, the airlines also could not sell tickets to and from Dallas Love field to destinations beyond the listed states. Someone wanting to fly to Los Angeles from Love Field, for example, would have to buy two tickets, get off the first flight, retrieve and re-check any checked bags and then board a second flight.

In 2006, at the urging of Southwest, the cities, airports and airlines agreed to a compromise. As of Oct. 13, 2006, airlines could sell tickets and transport passengers anywhere in the United States as long as they made at least one stop inside the Wright amendment borders.

Eight years later, they could begin flying nonstop anywhere in the U.S. out of Love Field. That comes Oct. 13, 2014. On Monday, Southwest discloses the “where” for it.

Check back Monday morning after Southwest makes its announcement.

But shall we guess?

My guess: Phoenix, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Chicago Midway, Baltimore, Orlando, Los Angeles, Denver.

Maybe: San Diego, New York LaGuardia, Fort Lauderdale, Washington Reagan, Oakland, San Francisco.

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Source: southwest - Google News http://ift.tt/1fs9tHK